Apparatus for conveying and transferring glass sheets or plates



Aug. 16, 1932.

J. L. DRAKE APPARATUS FOR G QNVEYING AND TBANSFERRING GLASS SHEETS 0R PLATES Filed May 13. 1929 2 Sheets-Sh et 2 Jhn LDra/(e QM N Patented Aug 16, 1932 UNITED "ST-Ares JOHN L. DRAKE, or *ro I-mo, omo, Assmnonwo nmnny-ownns-ronn GLASS comm.

or routine, omen conronn'rroiv or-orrro nrrazaa'rns For. convmnre nn'n 'rnansrnmtmq emss slums on runs Y Application fled Kay 13, 1922- Serial No. 382.472.

I The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for conveying and transferring glass sheets or plates.

The general object of the invention resides.

it! in the provision of such a process and appa ratus wherein the glass sheets can be produqed at a relatively high rate of speed and subsequently annealed whiletraveling at a speed relatively less'than the forming speed. ID The principal aim and object of the invention involves-the provisionof novel conveying mechanism for receiving the sheet from the forming rolls and effecting its transfer into the annealing leer,preferably in a direction transversely of its line of formation.

Other objects and advantages of the inven-- invention. Fig. 2 is an endelevation, partially in section, of the mechanism fortransferring the sheet sections into the individualleers.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing a por-- tion of the transfer mechanism. I

Fig. 4 is a detail transverse section showing the means for efiectmg vertlcalmovement of the sheet supporting rolls, and

Fig. 5 is a'diagrammatic view of the driv-' ing means for the supporting rolls. Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fig. -1, 10 designates a support or receptacle adapted to receive thereupon a mass or charge of molten glass 11 from a pot or other suitable container 12. Associated with one end of the support 10 is apair of sheet forming rolls 13 and 14, arranged with respect to one another to create a sheet form ing pass therebetween throu h which the molten glass 11 is adapted to e moved and reduced to a sheet of substantiallypredeter- An inclined mined and uniform thickness. runway 15 is mounted beneath the sheet sheet. downwardly.

carried forwardly upon a series of en portclaims.

forming pass in a manner to receive the sheet 16 issuing therefrom and for guiding the As the sheetpassesffrom the runwa 15, it is deflected into the horizontal plane y and ing and conveying rolls 17 into acham r 18. Thetemperature'of the glass may be controlled within this chamber by the provision of a plurality of burners or the like 19 and thesheet 16 is adapted to be cut orsevered transversely by means ofsuitable cutting. mechanism 20. into a plurality of'sheet sections21. 3

'The opposite side walls of the chamber 18 i are provided with a 'pluralit "of pairs of spacedlongitudinally exten ing. opposed openings 22, 23, 24, etc., the number depend:

ingupon the number of leers to. be employed I r 1 The sheet supporting and conveying 17 opposite each pair of opposed openings .22, 23, 24, etc., in chamber 18 are mounted upon shafts 28 journaled at their opposite ends in horizontal supporting members 29 extending longitudinally of the chamber, said members being provided at either end thereof with depending plungersBO operating in cylinders 31, whereby saidsupporting members and'the rolls carried thereby may be guided in their vertical movements. The supporting members 29 are substantiallyhollow as shownin- Fig. 4, and have mounted. therein a longitudinally extending shaft 32 carrying a plurality of spiral gears 33 meshing with spiral gears keyed to the'adjacent ends ofthe shafts 28 of rolls 17 The rolls 17 carried by each pair of supporting members 29 may be said to constitute a roller section and .may be so designated n "the at their loweriends totrans verse pins 37 and 38 respectively, -A-lso', pivotally connected to the pins 37 and 38 are the links 39 and 40 pivoted at their lower ends as at 41 and 42 respectively. E xtendin between and con necting' the pins 37 an v 38 is a connecting rod 43 while pivotally associated with the pin 37 is a pitman 44 plivoted as at 45 to'a ever 46 associated wit lever projects downwardly beneath the chamber18 and is connected, by means of a transverse cross rod 48, with a similar lever andraising and lowering mechanism at the opposite -side of the chamber so that the supporting members 29 at op osite sides of chamber 18 maybe raised an lowered simultaneously to effect an equal vertical movechamber 18 and meat of the opposite ends of rolls 17. When the rolls 17 are in their raised position, the arts of the apparatus assume the osition indicated inFig.2. However, when t e rolls are to be lowered,"the lever 46 is swun to the ri ht so as to cause a fold'ng or co a sing o the links 35, 39 and 3 40 in accor ance with the well'known principle of the toggle joint. i

Arranged between the 'rolls 17 of each roller sectionor, in other words, between the rolls carried by opposite supporting'members 29 is'a conveyor table consisting of a plurality of spaced parallel sections 49, 50 and 51. Each table section is of a continuous endless belt formation and may be com ed of a plurality of pivotally associate shown in Fig. 3." The upper run or flight of each. table section is horizontally'disposed and is adapted to slide or travel along upon the stationary supporting-rails or the like 52 positioned between adjacent rolls' 17 The endless table sections project-through the opposite openings 22323 or- 24, and are trained a utsprockets or rums 53 mounted upon shafts 54, the lower flight of each-table section being trained or returned beneath the fed from the table sections into theleer in the manner indicated in Fig. .3.

In operation, and at the beginning of the sheet forming cycle, the supporting members 29 of the several roller sections are adapted segment 47. This links as ided in its movement by to be raised so that the rolls 17 carried thereby will be disposed above the conveying tables and in horizontal alignment with the remaining rolls 17 disposed between the cutter and the vertically movable rolls. The conveying tables are preferably continuously driven in a clockwise direction so that their upper fii 'hts move toward the leers. mass or cliarge of molten glass'll deposited upon receiver 10 is'theii moved to the forming rolls 13 and 14 and rolled or reduced thereby to a sheet 16. This sheet then passes downwardly over the runway 15 onto the conveyor rolls 17 and is cut transversely at predetermined'intervals by the cutting means 20 into a plurality of sheet sections 21. When the sheet sections are brought to a position above the conveying tables, the rotation of the rolls 17 is stopped and the rolls of the several roller sections are then lowered so as to bring the sheet sections to rest upon the respective conveying tables. The conveying tables will then aid to feed the sheet sections transversely of their line of forma-.

tion into their respective annealing leers 25. The sheet 16 is adapted to be formed at a relatively high rate of s eed and after it iscut into sections, the in ividual sections 21 are adapted'to be advanced at a speed relatively faster than the speed of formation of the sheet until they are in their proper positions adjacent the respective leers whereupon their travel is stopped momentarily during the lowering of the rolls 17 after which they are fed transversely into the leers at a speed relatively slower than the speed of formation and carried throu h the leersat this speed. The sheet 16 can lwe cut into any preferred number of sheet sections and it is desired that a' separate leer provided for each section so that the first 'sectionwill be carried forwardl to the right to a position adjacent the ast or end leer; the next section to the second leer and each successive section to each succeeding closer leer as will be apparent. In thismanner, all of the sheet sections can be transferred into their respective leers substantiallyesimultaneously whereby production can greatly accelerated. The forming and annealing of the sheets in this manner also results in various other advantages which have been enumerated hereinabove in setting forth the objects of the invention. 1

One method of supporting and driving the conveying and supporting'rolls 17 is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5. Arrangedlongitudinally along one side of the chamber 18 is a lay-shaft 56 positively driven in'any suitable manner from any preferred source of power or prime mover. The conveying rolls 17 following the cutter 20-but in advance of the roller sections or vertically movable rolls 17 are driven from the layshaft through the intermeshing gears 57 and The 58 and the shaft 59. The rolls 17 of each roller section are also driven from the layshaft 56 preferably through-intermeshing ears 60 and 61 and shaft 62, said shaft 62 being connected to or being an extension of the shaft 28 of one of the rolls 17. One of the rolls of each roller section is therefore positively driven and the remaining rolls are driven through the intermeshing spiral gears 33 and 34 as will be apparent. The rolls 17 in advance of the roller sections may also be driven from the shaft 59in this manner.

Each shaft 62 may consist of a plurality of sections connected together by means of universal couplings or joints 63 to ermit raising and lowering of the rolls. he gear 60 is loosely mounted upon the lay-shaft 56 and is provided with a clutch section 64 adapted to be en aged by the clutch section 65 slidably mounted upon the shaft and operable by lever 66. Thus, the lay-shaft 56 and rolls 17 in advance of the roller sections are continuously driven while the vertically movable rolls are intermittently driven and may be started and stopped upon engagement or disengagement of the clutch sections 64 and 65.

From the above, it will be understood that the formin rolls 13 and 14 are driven at a relatively high rate of speed to rapidly reduce the molten glass 11 to sheet form. The rolls 17 are driven at a relatively faster peripheral s ieed than that of the formin rolls so that t e sheet will be carried forwar ly after being cut at a speed reater than that at which it was formed. When the sheet sections are brought to a position above the conveying or shifting tables the rotation of the vertically movable rolls is stop ed after which the said rolls are lowered to ring the sheet sections to rest upon the conveying tables which are driven to effect the transfer of the sheet sections into their respective annealing leers. The rolls 17 in advance of the cutting means 20 are preferably idler rolls although they may be positively driven if desired.

It is to be' understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the'same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim 'I? In a speed changing apparatus for glass sheets, the combinationof a plurality of horizontally spaced roller sections in substantial alignmendwith one another, each including a plurality of conveying rolls for carrying the sheets in a predetermined direction, shifting means interposed between the conveying rolls of each roller ction and driven in a direction at substanti lly right angles to the direction of rotation of said conveying rolls and at a relatively slower speed, means for raising and lowering the conveying rolls of each roller section with respect to the shifting means, a common drive means for the conveying rolls of the several roller sections, clutch means for effecting the starting and stopping of the conveying rolls of each roller section, and means for independently driving the shifting means of each roller section. 2. In a speed changing a paratus for glass sheets, the combination of alongitudinally extending chamber rovided with a plurality of spaced longitu inally extending openings in one side wall thereof, a plurality o horizontally spaced roller sections positioned within said chamber in substantial alignment with one another and in op sition to said openings, each including a p urality of conveying rolls for carryin the sheets in a predetermined direction, shi ing means in-' terposed between the conve ing rolls of each roller section and driven 1n a direction at substantially right angles to the direction of rotation of said conveying rolls and at a. relatively slower speed to pass the sheets through said openings, se arate means for independently raising and owering the conveying rolls of each roller section with respect to the shiftin means, means for independently drivin the shiftin means of each roller section, and a common rive means for the conveying rolls of the several roller sections. v

3. In a speed changing a paratus for glass sheets, the combination 0 a longitudinally extendin chamber provided with a plurality of space; longitudinall extending openings in one side wall thereo a plurality of horizontally spaced roller sections positioned within said chamberi substantial alignment with one another and ylll'l opposition to said openings, each including a plurality of conveying rolls for carryin the sheets in a predetermined direction, s ifting means interposed between the conveying rolls of each roller section and driven in a direction at substantially right angles to the direction of rotation of said conveying rolls and at a relatively slower speed to pass the sheets through said openings, separate means for independently raisin and lowering the conveying rolls of each ro ler section with res ect to the shifting means, means for in ependently driving the shifting means of each roller section, and a common drive means for the conveying rolls of the several; roller sections, including a lineshaft, operative connections between the line shaft and the rolls of each roller section, and clutch means for independently effecting the starting and stopping of the conveying rolls of each roller section;

Sisgned at Toledo, in the count of Lucas and tate of Ohio, this 8th day of ay, 1929.

JOHN L. DRAKE. 

